Converting a historic theater into a restaurant with nightclub spaces and performances required many layers of lighting, including theatrical, laser, nightclub and architectural lighting as well as decorative lighting. Designed through multiple changes of design team, the lighting was flexible enough to adapt with simple changes of color, and changes of decorative luminaires.
Quadruple height ceilings created challenges for adjustment, so focusing happened prior to installation of the tables, based on marked out furniture, and extremely long fixture life for reliability with occassional cherrypicker service when also addressing other services.
Art deco detailing uses classic indirect technique. Separate RGB and tuneable white tape gives greater ability create pastel tones as well as saturated colors. Accenting from automated lighting gives freedom and redundancy – a few extra spots allowing refocusing. Each dome has a “double nipple” look with one being an ultranarrow pinspot for tables, the other being a sharpie.
All lighting is controllable on architectural control systems, but slaves to the production control system as DJs fire up. All lighting is scenes are keyed to a mix of astronomical timeclocks and food service changes, until DMX lighting takes over in nightclub spaces.
Coordinating video screens in the automated dome (which opens revealing 16 screens and dozens of robotics) with lasers, nightclub and theatrical lighting plus architectural lighting required weekly coordination sessions with many parties. Structural and mechanical engineers were involved to automate articulation of the dome, under the lighting designer’s guidance.
The scheme is compliant with energy code, and achieves substantial efficiency through shutdowns of lighting systems not relevant to the time of day, avoiding vampire loads. All architectural fixtures are either indirect or heavily snooted with crossblades or honeycombs.
The historical nature of the building is warmly recognized in the lighting, but there is no doubt, it is a venue of its time.
